Oh No, Gotta Go! (Spanish Edition) [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Middleton Elya (Author), G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

It happens all the time. As soon as the car pulls away, someone needs the bathroom.

Where is un baño? ¿Dónde está? I really do need one," I told mi mamá.

After racing around town, passing a gushing fountain, and cutting the inevitable line for the ladies' room, this adorable little girl makes it to the bathroom in the nick of time. And because the bathroom is in a restaurant, the family stays for a wonderful meal-and lots of limonada. . . .

Buoyant illustrations and a clever mix of Spanish and English combine to capture the urgency and humor of the situation to the delight of kids and grown-ups alike.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-This sweet story follows a little girl and her parents as they drive around town on a Sunday looking for a bathroom. Elya uses the trip to introduce readers to a bit of Spanish vocabulary: "Pap  checked the bakery-la panader'a,/ but it wasn't open because of the d'a." The book concludes with a glossary and pronunciation guide. Karas's trademark illustrations reflect the light mood of the text and will help children figure out the unfamiliar words. The bright colors and mix of pictures from small insets to full spreads provide visual interest and pacing for the story. This is a clever way to introduce a language to young children, but it suffers from being a tad too long. Children might not be able to hold on until the end.
Tali Balas, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr.1 Here's an exuberantly illustrated charmer that combines a common childhood experience and a new language. The young narrator is in the car with her parents, when she says, "Where is un bano? Donde esta? I really do need one," I told mi mama." Thus begins a frantic chase through town, looking for a bathroom. Since it's Sunday, most places are closed, but the family is directed to a blue restaurant, where the girls and ladies in the long line gladly let the little girl go first. Elya does a fine job of making the poetic text work while incorporating the Spanish into the rhyme scheme. Not every word is made clear through context, but most are, and there's a glossary appended for the rest. Karas' pencil-and-watercolor artwork captures the sense of motion and urgency--the lines of the text swirl around the pictures in a go-go fashion. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (June 1, 2006)
• Language: Spanish
• ISBN-10: 0142403342
• ISBN-13: 978-0142403341
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Middleton Elya grew up near Des Moines, Iowa, went to college 35 miles away, and then left her state to teach in the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska. She wanted to teach 3rd grade but ended up teaching high school Spanish instead (due to her double degree from Iowa State University). After 8.5 years of teaching in the Midwest, she moved to San Diego to get married and ended up teaching Spanish to native speakers in Ramona, California. Then a move with her husband to the Bay Area left her jobless, with a new baby, and with plenty of time to write. She started submitting stories for publication in 1988 and finally struck gold with Say Hola to Spanish, a nonfiction picture book from Lee & Low, in 1994. Now, 26 titles later, Elya is working on novels, as well. She has two grown children and one nearly-grown child, and still loves to make up stories, do school visits, and remember what it was like to be a kid. She also has an antiques and book store in Danville, California, where she sells autographed copies of her books. Check it out at www.thepolkadotattic.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and fun book for english and spanish speakers., December 3, 2005

By 

D. Campbell "LibrarianDespot" (So Cal) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oh No, Gotta Go! (Hardcover)

I'm a elementary school librarian and happened to pick this book up in the bargain bin at a discount bookstore. What a great find! I read it to my 1-3 grade classes and they LOVED it. English learners love that there is some spanish and English speakers liked learning a little spanish. That the spanish rhymes is a big plus. Of course, most kids can completely relate to being on a car trip and suddenly having to go to "el bano".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bathroom, rapido!, July 26, 2005

By 

Dorothy K (Oak Lawn, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oh No, Gotta Go! (Hardcover)

A humorous story about a young girl who has to go to the bathroom "rapido". They are riding in the car and the daughter announces that she needs a bathroom. The story brings the car and the parents through town, in search of "un bano". One of the huge attractions of this story is the fact that it is a K-3 book with stores, buildings, colors, and common greetings which are all written in Spanish. Because it rhymes we are able to determine the pronunciation of most of the words: because of the paintings and context clues, we are able to determine the meanings of the Spanish words. The glossary and pronunciation guide contains spelling and translations of fifty-two words and phrases.

This picture book will be a marvelous addition to the bi-lingual classroom. Children who speak or read Spanish will be able to explain greetings, colors and familiar buildings to their English speaking classmates. English speaking children will learn some Spanish and empathy for their ESL friends. The watercolor pictures in the book feature the parents in the front seat and the small girl in the back seat. There are single and double-page spreads, pictures of the girl bordered in flowers and colors. The street scene with buildings labeled in Spanish paints their red car angularly, in the middle of the street, to indicate it does not know which way to go. The double paged line at the bathroom appears interminable with strollers, grandmothers, infants, teens and women of color and diversity. Cut ending!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny Ending!, July 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Oh No, Gotta Go! (Hardcover)

This is a cute book that my six year old son and I got a good laugh from and had to reread immediately. It introduces some basic Spanish words and phrases in rhyme. The pictures are bright and colorful. An easy, fun read.